ORIGIN

28 Years Stored: 1965 Sunbeam Tiger 260 Project

This 1965 Sunbeam Tiger is being offered by the 2nd owner who has stored the car since 1985 and says he worked on it for the previous owner starting in 1967. He just started posting the numbers and pictures here on the California Association of Tiger Owners (C.A.T.) website because the car had their decal in the windshield. Plenty of interesting info is surfacing, including that the early 260 cars optioned like this one are quite unusual. Find it here on Craigslist in Largo, Florida for $15k. Special thanks to BaT reader Neal C. for this submission!

The body on the car looks reasonably straight. The side mirrors and hood scoop look aftermarket. The car needs plenty of work, but the originality of the dash, exterior trim, and steel wheels is what makes this one an interesting find. It sounds like the seller might have some interesting stories too.

The body tag shows a factory color code #19 of Moonstone, which is a shade of white. It can be seen in the doors and floor area. Check out these pictures for why returning to that color might be a great idea. The back-up lights and dash clock are apparently rare options.

Tigers were built with Ford’s 260 until the 289 replaced them. Most 260s have been swapped out or replaced at this point, so finding an original one is actually pretty cool. With a car this stock we’d lean towards an original restoration instead of a modified hot rod. That said, the 260 could always be shelved while a roller 302 was installed for driving.

After 30 years of sitting in Florida we suspect that this car might need more than just a mechanical freshening. Even so, someone might want to drive it after a thorough cleaning without a full restoration. Either way, it is high time this Tiger saw the light of day.